1999 Los Angeles County Health Survey Background Summary & Methodology
Survey Objectives:
To collect information on the health risk behaviors, health status, use of preventive health services, and access to and utilization of health care services among Los Angeles County residents.Parent Survey:
The parent interview has been improved to collect information about the health-related issues for the child(ren) in the household. A longer interview was administered to the parents of children age 0 to 5 years to collect baseline information for use in further policy research (i.e., Children & Families First State Commission, Proposition 10 Commission).Low-Income Survey:
A supplemental survey of low-income persons (at or below 100% of the federal poverty level) was conducted to better understand the needs of this population, and its barriers to accessing health care services.Sample size:
8,354 adults age 18 years or older, living in Los Angeles County, were interviewed in the main survey. A sample of 6,016 interviews were completed among parents of children age 17 years or less in the Parent Survey. Increased numbers improve our ability to analyze the data for various social-demographic sub-groups and by geographic area. An additional component, the Low Income Follow-up Survey, was added to the 1999 Health Survey. This survey consisted of re-interviews with 1,898 respondents identified from the Main Adult Survey as having household incomes of less than 100% of the federal poverty level.Main Survey- new topics:
Violence and injury, nutrition, adult immunization, oral health, medical management of chronic diseases, mental health and emotional well being, and perceptions of community safety.Main Survey– improved/expanded topics:
Physical activity, alcohol use, preventive screening practices, and smoking cessation behaviors.Parent Survey– new topics:
Childhood immunization, obesity, nutrition, physical activity, unintentional injury prevention, conditions in the social and family environment such as parent well-being, quality of time with children, child care, and housing security.Other subpopulations:
In addition to young children, families, and low-income groups, increased emphasis was given to elderly, racial/ethnic, and/or linguistic minorities.For the elderly population, measures of functional status, need for assistance with activities of daily living, and age-specific health practices were included.
For the ethnic populations, use of non-traditional, culturally-specific health care products or services and experiencing language as a barrier to services were included.